Retro Game Audio

Halloween Mix III (music only)

October 29, 2023 17:36 - 1 hour - 170 MB

Tracklist: 0:00 Agony (Amiga) 2:14 Devil Crush (PCE) 5:44 Armalyte (C64) 9:19 Lunar 2: Eternal Blue (Sega CD) 11:52 Assassin (Amiga) 16:37 Suikoden 2 (PS1) 19:20 Ghost Battle (Atari ST) 23:50 The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES) 26:31 Aquaventura (Amiga) 29:36 Mario Kart (N64) 31:17 The Hobbit (C64) 33:22 Final Fantasy XI (PS2) 42:27 Astaroth (Amiga) 49:01 ActRaiser (SNES) 51:33 Dragon's Kingdom (Amiga) 55:21 Star Ocean III (PS2) 59:38 Alien Syndrome (C64) 1:05:52 Akumajō Dracula (...

Episode 32: Halloween Mix V

October 29, 2023 17:05 - 1 hour - 105 MB

After a long hiatus, we're back! We don't have anything specific to announce or regular content on the way just yet, but stay tuned for more. RGA will resume in some capacity, with Jeffrey Roberts joining as a permanent member. Intro-less version of this episode can be found here, and as always downloads are enabled to be able to listen outside of soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/retrogameaudio/halloween-mix-v-music-only/s-kMh08uYqa7Z Steve, Patrick, and Jeff each picked 10 tracks, so we'...

Mini Episode 2: New(ish) VRC7 Discoveries

February 07, 2020 02:27 - 15 minutes - 25.1 MB

A discussion on some new(ish) discoveries with the VRC7, and a few corrections as well. Show notes/links: https://forums.nesdev.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=9141 https://www.routledge.com/Music-in-the-Role-Playing-Game-Heroes--Harmonies-1st-Edition/Gibbons-Reale/p/book/9780815369042

Mini Episode 1: Castlevania 1's Weird Audio Glitch

October 18, 2019 01:20 - 16 minutes - 25.8 MB

Welcome to the first "mini episode" of Retro Game Audio. Steve and Patrick explore some odd instances of triangle "Pitch 0" appearing in the Castlevania 1 soundtrack.

Episode 31: Halloween Mix IV

October 09, 2019 00:21 - 1 hour - 123 MB

We're back with another Halloween playlist of spooky VGM. Here is the link to the music-only version of this episode, which includes a download option: https://soundcloud.com/retrogameaudio/halloween-mix-iv-music-only/s-bCwbD Apano Sin (Amiga) Der Langrisser (SFC) Alien Target (Amiga) Etrian Odyssey III (DS) Dungeon Explorer (PCE) Adventure of Tokyo Disney Sea (GBA) Tempest 1200 (Amiga) Castlevania: Curse of Darkness (PS2) Battle Heat (PC-FX) Mortal Kombat II (Sega Genesis) Necr...

Episode 30: Castlevania Bloodlines

April 02, 2019 13:15 - 1 hour - 161 MB

Patrick and Steve are joined once again by Kevin Burke to discuss the Castlevania Bloodlines soundtrack. Sampled from a modded Sega Genesis to achieve a crisp, bright sound, we do a complete listen-through as we also explore some of the technical aspects of its creation. Show notes 1:35 - Kevin's vgm audio sources on original hardware project 6:22 - Bloodlines' history and context 9:10 - Konami's history with hardware and sound design, leading to the Genesis 15:53 - Contra Hard Corps discus...

Episode 29: SimCity NES & MAGFest 2019 Recap

January 18, 2019 13:00 - 1 hour - 120 MB

We're back! Kicking off season 3 with an in depth analysis of the sound design in the long-lost SimCity NES game. Patrick and Steve also talk about MAGFest. For more history on this version of SimCity, visit https://gamehistory.org/simcity/ LuigiBlood's mashup of NES and SNES Metropolis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpSTa1X4xMw

Episode 28: Halloween Mix III

October 31, 2018 04:15 - 1 hour - 174 MB

We return with our 3rd annual Halloween playlist of spooky video game music! Lots of obscure and great tunes. Also, an announcement about the upcoming 3rd season of Retro Game Audio. You can listen to & download the music-only version of this episode here: https://soundcloud.com/retrogameaudio/halloween-mix-iii-music-only/s-uw4U2 Tracklist: Agony (Amiga) Devil Crush (PCE) Armalyte (C64) Lunar 2: Eternal Blue (Sega CD) Assassin (Amiga) Suikoden 2 (PS1) Ghost Battle (Atari ST) The Legend of...

Episode 27: The Sunsoft 5B & Mr. Gimmick!

April 09, 2018 02:49 - 1 hour - 186 MB

Patrick and Steve discuss the Sunsoft 5B famicom sound expansion and the sound design of Mr. Gimmick. This episode includes some previously-unknown information about Gimmick!, and also a complete listen-through of the soundtrack sampled from original hardware. Show notes: 0:00:43 - introduction & general gameplay discussion 0:13:49 - the 5B sound expansion 0:26:07 - the gimmick ps1 soundtrack 0:28:10 - imatrackman's "buzzer" cover 0:32:24 - the history of Gimmick! and Masashi Kageyama 0:38:...

Episode 26: Recording Chiptunes from Hardware

February 10, 2018 11:53 - 1 hour - 187 MB

Patrick and Steve are joined by Jeffrey Roberts to discuss the optimal set-ups for recording chiptunes and video game music from hardware. We review the audio outputs, recommended mods, audio formats, and flashcarts/ devices for a variety of consoles. 12:43 - NES 23:00 - Sound Expansion on the NES 31:02 - Top Loader NES 32:29 - Nintendo Famicom 38:02 - Game Boy & Game Boy Color 50:36 - Super Game Boy 55:04 - Super Nintendo 1:07:29 - Sega Genesis/ Mega Drive 1:19:40 - Sega Nomad 1:23:22 - Seg...

Episode 25: MSX Computers

December 16, 2017 12:09 - 2 hours - 241 MB

Patrick and Steve are joined by ImaTrackMan to discuss the MSX standard and its audio. After a bit of history discussion, we take a look at its PSG audio, followed by the following expansions and updates: SFG, MSX-AUDIO, SCC, OPLL / MSX-MUSIC, PCM / MIDI, and Moonsound. We include some pretty great music selections and hope you enjoy!

Halloween Mix II (music only)

October 15, 2017 05:07 - 1 hour - 142 MB

It's that time of year again! We've compiled another playlist of spooky video game music for your listening pleasure. Most tracks picked by Patrick and Steve, with a couple guest selections (see soundcloud comments for more info). Special thanks to Alex Menchi for providing the rips of most of the Amiga selections found in this episode. You can find a lot of Amiga music on his youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/alexmenchi Last year's Halloween episode can be found here: https...

Episode 24: Halloween Mix II

October 15, 2017 05:07 - 1 hour - 142 MB

It's that time of year again! We've compiled another playlist of spooky video game music for your listening pleasure. Most tracks picked by Patrick and Steve, with a couple guest selections (see soundcloud comments for more info). Special thanks to Alex Menchi for providing the rips of most of the Amiga selections found in this episode. You can find a lot of Amiga music on his youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/alexmenchi Last year's Halloween episode can be found here: https...

Episode 23: Capcom's NES Music

September 29, 2017 11:04 - 3 hours - 333 MB

Patrick and Steve are joined by Oliver to discuss Capcom's Famicom and NES music. We do a pretty deep dive into some of the strange nuances and quirks of their sound engines, as well as observe how their sound progressed over time. We also share at least one song from every FC/ NES title of theirs, in chronological order of release.

Episode 22: About the Author

August 29, 2017 01:17 - 2 hours - 238 MB

Patrick and Steve embark on an introspective journey for the 22nd episode of Retro Game Audio. We share the game music that was most nostalgic to us, and also discuss how we got into the modern chipmusic scene and how the podcast was created.

Episode 21: High Quality Sample Playback on the NES (ft. Super Russian Roulette)

July 17, 2017 08:09 - 2 hours - 222 MB

Patrick and Steve are joined by Andy Reitano, the creator of Super Russian Roulette, to discuss high quality sample playback on the NES.

Episode 20: The SNES

June 05, 2017 16:51 - 2 hours - 326 MB

For our 20th episode (and longest episode yet!), Patrick and Steve discuss the audio of the SNES. We worked hard to research and demystify the lesser-known audio features of the system! https://www.patreon.com/RetroGameAudio

Episode 19: The VRC7 & Lagrange Point

April 28, 2017 14:14 - 1 hour - 172 MB

Patrick and Steve talk about Konami's VRC7 sound expansion and the Lagrange Point soundtrack. We also talk a bit about the OPL line of Yamaha chips that the VRC7 descended from.

Episode 18: The Sharp X68000

March 28, 2017 14:05 - 1 hour - 186 MB

Patrick and Steve talk about the Sharp X68K, a powerful Japanese home computer that debuted in 1987. It featured audio similar to the Sega Genesis/ Mega Drive, but with some differences of course.

Episode 17: Konami's NES Music

February 24, 2017 10:40 - 2 hours - 376 MB

Patrick and Steve are joined by Kevin Burke to discuss Konami's Famicom and NES music. We analyze various sound design techniques and explore their catalog in chronological order of release. Follow Kevin on twitter- https://twitter.com/kr_burke

Episode 16: Lost NES Music

December 30, 2016 13:07 - 2 hours - 277 MB

In Episode 16 of Retro Game Audio, we take a look at "Lost" NES Music. We discuss five different categories of hidden, altered, and unreleased music.

Episode 15: The Sega Genesis

December 01, 2016 11:24 - 1 hour - 196 MB

Patrick and Steve return to discuss the audio of the Sega Genesis console (better known as the Sega Mega Drive worldwide).

Episode 14: Halloween Mix

October 29, 2016 10:43 - 1 hour - 153 MB

We're back! Breaking an unplanned hiatus with a mix of spooky VGM, just in time for Halloween. Season 2 of Retro Game Audio to commence soon. If you'd like to download a copy of this Halloween mix without the introduction, a file of just the music can be found here: https://soundcloud.com/retrogameaudio/episode-14-halloween-mix-music-only/s-kYCYf

Episode 13: Namco 163 (Famicom Sound Expansion)

June 24, 2016 17:29 - 1 hour - 193 MB

We're back to discuss the N163, Namco's MMC chip that offered up to 8 channels of wavetable synthesis as sound expansion for the Nintendo Famicom. Imgur album of N163 instrument data: http://namco163.imgur.com/ Special thanks to ImATrackMan and Naruko for providing various resources for this episode!

Episode 12: The Evolution of SunSoft Audio

May 25, 2016 11:33 - 2 hours - 298 MB

A week late due to illness (thank you for your patience!), we're finally here to discuss the evolution of SunSoft audio. From humble beginnings making simplistic arcade and early Famicom audio, to amazing, top-tier video game soundtracks.

Episode 11: The Game Boy and Game Boy Color

May 04, 2016 15:14 - 1 hour - 217 MB

We are joined by Paul Weinstein to discuss the audio of the Game Boy and Game Boy Color. Special thanks to Alberto González for the feedback and anecdotes, and the additional audio supplies and information from HUNRetroGeek and Herbert Weixelbaum.

Episode 10: The VRC6 (Famicom Sound Expansion)

April 18, 2016 12:52 - 1 hour - 169 MB

In our tenth episode, we discuss the VRC6 chip's expansion audio. It added three extra channels of sound, and was used in the original version of Castlevania III (Akumajou Densetsu), as well as Mouryo Senki Madara and Esper Dream 2.

Episode 9: Maniac Mansion (with David Warhol Interview)

April 05, 2016 14:37 - 1 hour - 260 MB

We are joined by Gary Butterfield to discuss the soundtrack to Maniac Mansion for the NES. This episode also features a special guest interview with David Warhol, the veteran video game producer and sound programmer for Maniac Mansion! Gary's podcasts can be found here: http://duckfeed.tv/

Episode 8: The Famicom Disk System

March 21, 2016 13:26 - 1 hour - 230 MB

Having recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, the Famicom Disk System was a peripheral device for the Nintendo Famicom that it allowed it to play games on floppy disk. With it, came an additional channel of sound. We take an up close look at how music was arranged for it, how the sound channel works, and share the FDS music we find most interesting. Here's the instrument data I compiled from 12 different FDS soundtracks, for easy browsing and making visual comparisons: http://famicomdisks...

Episode 7: Zan Gear (Sega Game Gear)

March 14, 2016 10:25 - 30 minutes - 70.6 MB

In this episode we briefly discuss some of Motoi Sakuraba's work, and celebrate a lesser-known soundtrack. Included is the entirety of Zan Gear's soundtrack for the Sega Game Gear. Quoted interview with Motoi Sakuraba: http://shmuplations.com/motoisakuraba/ The review we reference: http://www.vgmonline.net/reviews/don/zankagerouera.shtml

Episode 6: Alberto González

March 07, 2016 12:55 - 1 hour - 222 MB

In this episode we take an up close look at the history of video game music composer Alberto González, how he made his music, and of course demonstrate a variety of his excellent music. Steve and I are joined by an old friend of mine, Audi Sørlie. Alberto's Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/joemcalby the older interviews mentioned in this episode will be re-linked here soon!

Episode 5: The Sega Master System

March 01, 2016 07:52 - 1 hour - 170 MB

This episode is all about the Sega Master System, Sega's 8-bit predecessor to the Sega Genesis/ Mega Drive. Show notes: https://segaretro.org/ (a lot of our history notes come from here!) http://www.smspower.org/Development/SN76489 (more details about SMS PSG audio) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt9lGeAz1z1lxJtSlWhX30w )(Adrian Gauna uploads hardware recordings of Sega music, it's the source of some of our audio) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0CAA9FE7A2C6D20F (My upload of the ...

Episode 4: Gordian Tomb (C64)

February 18, 2016 09:16 - 39 minutes - 90.7 MB

My co-host Steve makes music under the name Ap0c: https://ap0c.bandcamp.com/ https://soundcloud.com/ap0c Interview with Thomas Detert, Gordian Tomb composer: http://www.remix64.com/interviews/interview-thomas-detert.html MP3 rips from SID soundchips/ hardware: http://se2a1.bigbox.info/soasc/index.php?av=0&sb=SOASC&ss=gordian&did=0did1

Episode 3: NES Audio Overview

February 12, 2016 13:09 - 1 hour - 181 MB

In episode three we give a detailed overview of the NES' sound capabilities. Enduring some technical difficulties with the recording process, thank you for your patience!

Episode 2: Konami's Wai Wai World Soundtracks

February 04, 2016 11:36 - 1 hour - 151 MB

We discuss Konami's Wai Wai World soundtracks, which include a variety of covers/ rearrangements of other Konami tunes. Show notes: Info on Wai Wai World: http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/waiwaiworld/waiwaiworld.htm Thanks to VengefulChip for providing a rip of the Castlevania Amiga soundtrack: http://vengefulchip.tk/castlevania-amiga/ Neil's quote regarding vibrato/ sound engine weirdness: http://dutycyclegenerator.com/

Episode 1: An Up Close Look at Magician (NES)

January 29, 2016 11:36 - 1 hour - 171 MB

Patrick and Steve take a close look at the soundtrack to Magician, an NES game released in 1990. Developed by Eurocom and scored by Neil Baldwin. Show note links: http://dutycyclegenerator.com/ http://nes-audio.com/ List of longest known nes tunes- http://i.imgur.com/fcPgE3b.png

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